A water bomber drops water on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

People look on as helicopters get water from Shannon Lake so they can put the water on a blaze on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Helicopters drop water on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Helicopters drop water on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A bucket of water from Shannon Lake is lifted by a helicopter so they can put the water on a blaze on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Helicopters drop water on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Helicopters get water from Shannon Lake so they can put the water on a blaze on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

People look on as helicopters get water from Shannon Lake so they can put the water on a blaze on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A helicopter gets water from Shannon Lake so they can put the water on a blaze on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A air tanker drops fire retardant on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A air tanker drops fire retardant on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A water bomber drops water on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A water bomber drops water on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A water bomber drops water on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C. Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Flames from a forest fire are seen burning on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C., early Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.JONATHAN HAYWARD
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Flames from a forest fire are seen burning on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C., early Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.JONATHAN HAYWARD
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Flames from a forest fire are seen burning on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C., early Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.JONATHAN HAYWARD
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

Flames from a forest fire are seen burning on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C., early Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.JONATHAN HAYWARD
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A RCMP officer puts up police tape as flames from a forest fire are seen burning on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C., early Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.JONATHAN HAYWARD
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A street sign is pictured in the foreground as the flames from a forest fire are seen burning on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C., early Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.JONATHAN HAYWARD
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

A home is seen in the foreground as flames from a forest fire are seen burning on a hillside in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, July, 18, 2014. Over 2500 residents of the area were evacuated when the fire suddenly grew in size threatening nearby homes.JONATHAN HAYWARD
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Maka-Murray fire, west of Murray Lake is believed to have been caused by lightning on Monday and is now estimated to be about 80 hectares.Handout
/ B.C. Wildfire Management Branch

The Mount McAllister fire, burning 56 kilometres west of Chetwynd, has grown to an estimated 20,000 hectares, up from around 5,000 hectares in size on Tuesday.Handout
/ B.C. Wildfire Management Branch

The Mount McAllister fire, burning 56 kilometres west of Chetwynd, has grown to an estimated 20,000 hectares, up from around 5,000 hectares in size on Tuesday.Handout
/ B.C. Wildfire Management Branch

Police man a roadblock on Highway 29, about 20 kilometres outside of Hudson's Hope, Thursday, July, 17, 2014. Police have closed the road into the small British Columbia town of 1,150 people after residents were ordered to evacuate due to the threat of the Mount McAllister wildfire burning just on the other side of the Peace River.Jonathan Hayward
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Mount McAllister fire, burning 56 kilometres west of Chetwynd, has grown to an estimated 20,000 hectares, up from around 5,000 hectares in size on Tuesday.Handout
/ B.C. Wildfire Management Branch

VANCOUVER — Linda Corscadden has been watching nervously from the back lawn of her West Kelowna, B.C., home as water bombers strafe a raging fire just a kilometre away.

The Smith Creek wildfire kindled Thursday afternoon and within hours forced 2,500 people from their homes as it swelled to four-square kilometres.

That number was later downgraded to 2.5 square kilometres by the Wildfire Management Branch, which noted smoke had made earlier estimates difficult.

Still, Corscadden fears her neighbourhood will be next to get the order to clear out.

"I got off work in Peachland at about two o'clock (Thursday) and I thought, when I was driving up Old Okanagan Highway, it didn't look bad," she said in a phone interview. "And then by three o'clock it had spread and come over that hill and now it's right in front of my house."

Corscadden, her son, and mother, were ready to scramble within a moment's notice.

"My truck was packed as soon as I saw the fire come over the hill there, right in front of my house," she said.

The air is filled with thick smoke, and trees can occasionally be seen going up in flames, Corscadden said. Many of her neighbours also stayed home from work on Friday, watching the smoky horizon anxiously and hoping they wouldn't lose their homes to the blaze.

"There are houses on that hillside, so just watching to make sure they don't go up in flames is actually scary," Corscadden said. "We're on the verge of tears because we know they're working so hard, but it doesn't seem to be contained at all. It's spreading."

Though crews had managed to contain 20 per cent of the fire, the blaze was expected to get more aggressive Friday with wind in the forecast, said Kayla Pepper with B.C's Wildfire Management Branch.

"So earlier this morning crews were seeing a decrease in fire activity, however, going into the afternoon with the increased wind, we may see an increase in fire activity once again," she said.

The blaze was also burning within 100 metres of the main feeder powerline that services the towns of Peachland, Westbank and West Kelowna. Area residents were urged to prepare themselves to be without power and self-sustaining for several days.

Premier Christy Clark, whose riding encompasses the Smith Creek wildfire, was in the community on Friday.

Clark said the province is spending roughly $5 million a day combating wildfires — an amount that has already caused the government to blow its entire firefighting budget.

"We are not going to stop spending money because it's expensive," she told reporters. "We are going to do everything we can to protect people and property across this province."

Clark said the province is well-equipped to battle wildfires, and whether the Mars water bombers will be reactivated is something that should be determined by emergency personnel.

"We know we have the resources we need on the ground and in the air right now to do everything we can," she said. "The one thing we cannot control is the weather, unfortunately, so we're counting on the winds to blow in the right direction, the air to cool, hoping for some rain."

The last Mars bomber retired from use in 2013 was able to skim 27,000 litres of water in one lake dip.

The Smith Creek fire is one of 160 fires burning across British Columbia, including 17 major fires, about a dozen of which threaten homes or outbuildings.

Just hours after the Smith Creek broke out, 120 residents of a small community in the Fraser Canyon, 260 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, were also told to get out of their homes.

The Botanie Road fire, at almost five-square kilometres in size, is threatening an area just north of Lytton, on the north side of the Thompson River, and an evacuation alert has also been served on several properties between Botanie Creek and Highway 12.

Crews are also working on a three-hectare wildfire sparked Thursday morning on the south side of the Harrison River, four kilometres west of Harrison Hot Springs in the Fraser Valley. By Friday, the human-caused blaze was listed as 40 per cent contained, although it is still threatening BC Hydro lines in the area 120 kilometres east of Vancouver.

The Wildfire Management Branch reported 1,500 provincial staff, nearly 800 B.C. contractors and 94 out-of-province personnel are already involved in the battle and more help is on the way.

Branch spokeswoman Navi Saini said 40 sustained-action firefighters from Quebec, 20 from Nova Scotia and 20 from New Brunswick will arrive Saturday, and 120 more crew members from Ontario will arrive Sunday.

She said the firefighters will fly into Prince George and will be deployed throughout the province based on current and anticipated fire activity.

Smoke from the fires is covering several communities in the province.

Environment Canada and B.C.'s Environment Ministry have issued smoke advisories and a special air quality statement for many parts of the central Interior, from the Cariboo, just south of Prince George, south to the U.S. border.

The advisories warn smoke concentrations will vary widely due to fire, wind and temperature changes, but everyone in the affected regions is urged to avoid strenuous outdoor activities while people with chronic conditions are advised to stay inside.

In 2012, a quick-spreading fire tore through three kilometres of forests and fields in Peachland, forcing 1,500 people to flee their homes and destroying four houses.

The summer of 2003 is considered the worst fire season in B.C. history. The province responded to 2,500 wildfires that together scorched 2,600 square kilometres of forests and destroyed 334 homes.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Saskatoon loves its Christmas lights. The Enchanted Forest draws thousands of vehicles each week. The late Bob Hinitt worked for months building his light display, which drew thousands of cars each year to Wiggins Avenue. And Scott Lambie on Clinkskill Drive has continued the tradition with more than 70,000 dancing lights (up from 50,000 last […]

When it comes to gift giving, they say it’s the thought that counts. But many are wondering if Mayor Drew Dilkens was thinking at all when he gave Olympic superstar Michael Phelps — whose battles with booze are well known — a big bottle of Canadian Club whisky.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.